2 Timothy 3:3 (WEB)

Passage

without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come.

2 Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2 Timothy 3:3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,

2 Timothy 3:4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

2 Timothy 3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "without", "natural", "affection", "unforgiving", "slanderers", "self-control", and "fierce". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "without" and "natural", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "For men will be lovers of self..." into verse 4's "traitors headstrong conceited lovers of pleasure rather...", so "without" and "natural" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "without" and "natural" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.